Hyacinth, Scarlet - Fire of the Four Seasons (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove) (12 page)

“Don’t despair,
ly
ubimiy moi
,” Zimah said as he sat down next to Alexei. “Her time will come. You just have to be patient.”

Alexei sighed and leaned against Zimah. He felt thankful
that
at least one of his lovers always made it his business to stay with Alexei when he watched over his sister, even if they
had
important jobs as earth spirits. Their presence helped him deal with the never-ending frustration.

“I suppose
that
’s it for today,” Alexei said as he stole a look toward the darkening sky. People
had
been warned to stay away from the forest at night. Wolves still presented a problem for mortals, even if they couldn’t hurt Alexei anymore.

“Do you want to go home?” Zimah asked. “The others will return soon as well.”

Alexei nodded and got up. His parents
had
left a little while ago, so any new arrivals would have to wait until tomorrow.

Just as they headed toward the standing stones, Zimah stopped. “There’s another presence approaching,” he said.

Surprise gripped Alexei. Who could have come here at this hour, risking an attack from wild animals? They waited next to Eva’s sanctuary until at last, a knight and his squire emerged in the grove. Alexei ana
ly
zed the new arrival with a critical eye. He seemed like the proverbial standard for a knight in shining armor. In fact, the armor gleamed even in the dim light. The man looked powerful and foreign, and Alexei felt a small stirring of hope. Could this be Eva’s fated love? “Here she is,” the knight whispered more to himself than to anyone else.

He approached Eva’s coffin with the squire pulling a white stallion along. At last, he reached the icy sanctuary and placed his hand on the frozen vegetation. Behind him, the squire took in the sight with wide eyes.

Nothing happened. The knight retrieved his long broadsword and hit the outer shield of ice with it. The weapon recoiled with such force it went f
ly
ing out of the man’s hand. The knight himself staggered and caught himself on his squire.

After a few seconds, he managed to gather his wits and went to retrieve his sword. “Oh, well,” he said. “I guess it
was
a useless journey after all.”

“But, My Lord, we can’t just leave her,” the squire protested.

The knight shrugged. “There are many other damsels in distress where this one came from. I’ll just save another to make her my queen. Come on, Vadik. We must get some rest before we leave this damn village tomorrow.”

The squire—Vadik—turned to look one more time toward Eva, before nodding. “Yes, My Lord.” Together, the two of them disappeared into the night.

After he watched them go, Alexei turned toward his lover. “What
did
you think?”

Zimah smiled at him, his blue eyes shining in the darkness. “I think Eva found her true love.”

* * * *

The night signaled a change in Alexei’s routine. The knight never
did
return, but the next day, the squire, Vadik, came with Igor and Elga.

Nothing happened when he touched the ice either. He
did
n’t look surprised, but smiled sad
ly
at Alexei’s parents.

“Well, I
did
n’t real
ly
expect someone like her would be fated for someone like me.” He paused, then caressed the ice almost absent
ly
. “I know this is presumptuous,” he told them, “but I’d like to stay and help you. She… Yesterday, I just… I can’t explain it, but even if I can’t be with her, I don’t want to leave either. I heard you lost your son as well, so if you’d have me, I’d love to help you in whatever way I can.”

Igor looked shocked. “But, my boy, you can have a brilliant future ahead of you. You can’t just throw all
that
away to live in a forgotten village.”

Vadik smiled. “It’s just the way I feel.”

“Then our house is open to you,” Elga said. “My son is still watching over us and Eva, but you can be our second one.”

Truth be told, Alexei
did
indeed come to help his parents from time to time, unseen and unheard by anyone from the outside. The villagers
had
begun to push his parents away after Eva’s entrapment and his disappearance. They believed Igor and Elga to be cursed. It impressed Alexei
that
this man would agree to stay here and face their problems, just because he
did
n’t want to abandon Eva.

As it turned out, Zimah’s prediction proved to be correct. As the days and weeks passed, Vadik continued to visit Alexei’s sister. The ice never cracked when he touched it, but Alexei
did
notice it begin to melt. At times, he almost heard Eva speak, and he swore Vadik could hear her as well.

His guess
was
confirmed when, at last, one beautiful autumn day, the shield around Eva shattered and her icy coffin melted. Vadik helped her out of her former sanctuary. They threw their arms around each other, with Vadik whispering endearments in her ear and Eva desperate
ly
clinging to him.

“Thank you for waiting for me,” she said.

“How could I not, my darling? How could I not?”

They
did
n’t see Alexei and his lovers standing there, and when they sat on the grass, Alexei chose not to bother them. However, just as he readied himself to go, a stifled sob from Eva drew his attention. “I wish Alexei could be here, too,” she said. “He’d be so happy for me.”

Alexei gaped, for the first time understanding she thought him to be dead. Vadik hugged her tight, obvious
ly
not knowing how to comfort her and very distressed about it.

Alexei needed no other sign to make his appearance. “I am happy for you,” he said as he allowed his mortal form to manifest. His lovers
had
explained Eva’s spirit
had
never passed through the same transformation as him, so she would not be able to see them unless he willed it.

In a flash, Eva turned to face him. Her blue eyes turned almost aquamarine with volatile emotion. Physical
ly
, she
had
n’t changed at all, and yet, she looked nothing like the sister who’d sent him trekking through the freezing cold to gather violets.

After one moment during which she just stared at him, she shot to her feet and rushed to him. Her slender arms hugged his torso so tight Alexei wouldn’t have thought it possible, not from her. “Alexei, you’re alive. I can’t believe it. But Vadik… Vadik said…”

“It’s a long and complicated story,” Alexei told his sister. “I am alive, just not like you and Mama.” For all purposes, he had indeed died, but he
’d managed to pass to a different level of existence. Eva would remain a human, as she’d never gone beyond into the spirit world. But Alexei no longer feared for her, not now, that she’d found her true level.

Eva opened her mouth and closed it. “You’re a ghost?” she murmured, her lower lip trembling as if she tried to keep herself from crying.

Alexei chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Do I look like a ghost?”

As children, it always irritated Eva to have her hair messy, but now it
did
n’t seem to bother her. Instead, she hugged him again. “As long as you’re by my side and you’re happy, you can be anything you like.”

“I’m happy,” Alexei answered. “So very happy.”

His men chose this moment to materialize. Their appearance served to snap Vadik out of his shock. He hastened to Eva’s side, sword drawn.

“It’s all right,” Alexei immediate
ly
said. “They’re with me.” He
did
n’t know how to explain all four of them were his lovers.

Eva frowned at Zimah, and after a few tense seconds, she cried out, “I remember you,” she said. “You’re the one who stuck me inside
that
awful thing.” She pointed at
Ly
etah. “And you threw Alexei into the fire.” Her entire stance tense and angry, she glared at Alexei. “What are you doing with them, Alexei?”

“Eva, they saved us. We were attacked by wolves.” Taking a deep breath, he took the plunge and decided to tell her everything. “You and I
had
a power deep inside. You felt it
that
day,
did
n’t you, the freezing cold?”

Eva nodded. “How
did
you know about
that
?”

“Well, I
had
fire. We were granted this power from birth, but during the wolf attack, it burst out too violent
ly
and threatened to consume us. What they
did
needed to be done to keep us from dying.”

Eva seemed to contemplate his words. She closed her eyes, and Alexei knew she now tested her own body and soul to see if she could still feel the chill. “You’re right,” she said at last. “I don’t understand it, but you’re right.”

“We’ll explain everything in time,” Zimah piped in. “Don’t worry, your power is nothing to be afraid of as long as you know how to use it.”

Vadik gaped at him. “Power? Magic? This… This is all so odd.”

Eva turned to her rescuer. “Does it change anything?” she asked sad
ly
.

Vadik took her hands and kissed them. “No! Of course not. I’ll get used to it. It’s just a lot to take in.”

Alexei
did
n’t blame the man. Now, he
did
n’t know whether to finish the tale and reveal his relationship with his men. He
was
n’t ashamed of it, but Vadik might not understand.

Eva must have sense his distress and gave him a sidelong glance. “What is it, Alexei? There’s something else, isn’t there? Who are they real
ly
?”

Now
that
she’d asked, Alexei
had
no choice but to tell her. Pointing at each of his men, he introduced them. “This is Visnah,
Ly
etah, Ohsyn, and Zimah. They are my lovers.”

Vadik looked like he
was
about to faint, and Eva looked from him to his men, as if ana
ly
zing them. “Are you serious, Alexei? Men? And four of them?”

Alexei nodded, to which Eva said, “Wow. How does
that
work? Never mind, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.” She smiled at him. “As long as you’re happy and safe, I can accept it.”

“You don’t look all
that
surprised,” Alexei answered, confused.

“Well, I’m certainly surprised about the number, but I already suspected you liked other men. And I’m guessing you’re the ones who gave Alexei the violets, berries, and apples.”

“Indeed, we are,” Zimah answered. “I trust you won’t make such unreasonable requests in the future.”

Eva’s expression turned shamed, and Visnah gave Zimah a chastising look. “Let’s not think about
that
now,” he said. “Today is a day of celebration. Let your parents know as they’ve been very worried about you.”

“There’s nothing quite like being young and in love,”
Ly
etah continued. “Enjoy it!”

“And don’t worry, we’ll take care of Alexei,” Ohsyn finished.

“Thank you,” Eva said. “I… I promise I’ll be a better person from now on. Thank you.”

Alexei hugged his sister silent
ly
telling her he
did
n’t keep any grudges for the past. How could he? She
was
his twin, and he loved her. He looked at Vadik and gave the man his best threatening look. “You be good to her.”

He must’ve put a bit of fire in his eyes as Vadik looked taken aback. Thankful
ly
, the man recovered and nodded. “I will.”

They said their good-byes, and Alexei watched Vadik lead Eva away toward the main road. “
That
went well,” Visnah said.